The Dallas Mavericks' abrupt decision to hold out five players from a game on Friday, when they still had a chance of reaching the NBA play-in tournament, will be investigated, the league said Saturday.

"The NBA commenced an investigation today into the facts and circumstances surrounding the Dallas Mavericks' roster decisions and game conduct with respect to last night's Chicago Bulls-Mavericks game, including the motivation behind those actions," NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said in a statement.

League rules include measures against "tanking" which stipulate an owner may not "attempt to lose or control the score of any game."

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